Flatus bag and catheter



March 14, 1967 Q M, V@ANDY FLATUS BAG AND CATHETER Filed Dee. 14, 1962 IN VENTOR. C HR/ T/Nf M G/VD Y BY @mf 634W, /l T TPNEYS United States Patent O 3,308,824 FLATUS BAG AND CATHETER Christine M. Gandy, 303 W. Meridian, Dade City, Fla. 33139 Filed Dee. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 244,803 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-275) This invention relates to medical apparatus, and more particularly to an improved combination indwelling tube or catheter and receiver device for use in connection with various body drainage procedures; such as for example in connection with procedures involving drainage of the colon, gastrointestinal viscera, peritoneal, thoracic and other body regions such as in preoperative or postoperative drainage procedures, or the like.

Generally stated, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved appliance for the purposes referred to hereinabove, which is particularly suited for use in treatments involving flatus conditions; and to that end the invention contemplates the provision of an improved combination tube or catheter and receiver device wherein the receiver comprises a flexible bag of improved form which is slip-fitted over the proximal end of the tube or catheter and is positionally adjustable thereon. The bag is sealed at the bott-om and is otherwise water-tight except for provision of small vent holes at the top of the bag adjacent the tube connection to permit emanation of gases from the bag. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent by reference to the accompanying specification and drawing which describes and illustrates by way of example one structural form of theV invention, wherein:

FIG. l is a front elevational view of a receiver bag and catheter device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side edge view thereof, partly in section;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line III-III of FIG. l; and

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the positioning of the device when in use.

As shown in the drawing herewith, an embodiment of the invention may be provided in the form of a normally flat, limp and flexible plastic 'bag 10 of rectangular profile although it will be appreciated that the bag -may be of any other prolie form; the bag being conveniently and economically fabricated by simpfy heat-sealing Ior adhesively connecting, as indicated at 12, a pair of plastic sheets in back-to-back relation. Or, in the alternative, the bag may be made from plastic tubing by cutting the tubing in Suitable lengths and then heat-sealing the opposite ends thereof together as indicated at 14-16 (FIG. l). The heat-sealing operation may be performed by any suitably shaped dies so as to leave the interior of the bag in the form of a chamber having a closed bottom and a generally closed top end; the ciosed top end portion 16 being interrupted as indicated at 18 to provide an open inlet channel into which the delivery end of a somewhat stiffer plastic tube lor catheter 20 is slipfitted. The tube 20 resembles a rectal catheter and is conveniently made of any suitable form-retaining, exible, plastic tube stock, having its forward or top end 22 open but rounded to facilitate insertion. Several side openings -or eyes as indicated at 24 are provided near the top to prevent clogging.

As stated before, the opening 18 within the heat-sealed portion 16 is dimensioned to receive the proximal end of the tube or catheter 20 in slip-fitting relation for slide adjusting movements thereof in directions longitudinally of the bag, and the bag is furthermore heat-sealed at the areas indicated at 26-26 (FIG. 1) to provide a substantial neck-shaped socket for snugly holding the tube in fluid-tight connected relation while permitting it to be slidingly adjusted to different positions so as to accommodate the tube or catheter and receiver unit to different physiognomy situations. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the unit may be adjusted for use in a variety of drainage procedures on patients of different sizes, while the bag 10 is disposed to lie flat upon the bed or hung alongside the bed, as may be preferred. It will be appreciated that due to the pliability of the bag and tube unit, drainage uids may readily ow into the bag through the tube device. As indicated at 30, a series of small gas vent apertures are formed only in the top cover sheet portion of the bag across the upper end thereof, to permit emanation of gases from the bag.

Thus it will be appreciated that the device of the invention provides a structurally simple and inexpensively fabricated and conveniently usable combination catheter and bag for the purposes specified; which is comfortable for the user even to lie upon due to the pliability of all of its parts. Due to the relatively low cost of the device, it

is practicable to limit the use of each such device to one patient only; thereby avoiding the necessity for cleaning and sterilizing the device intermediately of multiple usages, and eliminating the possibility of cross-contamination.

Whereas only one specific form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein-above, it will of course be appreciated that various changes may be made in the details of its construction without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope lof the following claims.

I claim:

1. A catheter and receiver device comprising, in combination,

a limp, flexible bag formed by -a pair of opposed walls normally disposed in face-to-face contact throughout substantially their entire areas,

a tube projecting into said bag between said walls,

said Iwalls being joined continuously and uninterruptedly 4from a point immediately adjacent one side of said tube and marginally of said walls to a point immediately adjacent the opposite side of said tube, and being joined along opposed areas immediately adjacent to, on opposite sides of and partially along the length of said tube to provide a neck receiving said tube and positioning the inner end of said tube inwardly from the margin of said bag,

and vent means located between the inner end of said tube and that margin-al portion of the bag from which the tube extends inwardly, said vent means being formed by at least one perforation through a portion of only one wall of said bag which is in face to-face opposition with a corresponding portion of the other wall.

2. A catheter and receiver device bination,

a limp, flexible bag formed by a :pair of opposed walls normally disposed in face-to-face contact throughout substantially their entire areas,

a tube projecting into said bag between said walls,

said walls being joined continuously and uninterruptedly from a point immediately adjacent one side of said tube and marginally of said walls to a point immediately adjacent the opposite side of said tube, and being joined along opposed areas extending inwardly from the margin of the bag along the length of said tube and closely adjacent the opposite sides thereof to provide a neck receiving said tube and positioning the inner end of said tube inwardly from the margin of said bag,

one wall only of said bag being perforate in an area thereof which is in face-to-face opposition with a corresponding area of the other wall and which lies between the inner end of said neck and the adjacent margin of said bag.

comprising, in corn- 3 4 3. A catheter and receiver device comprising in combetween the inner end of said neck and the adjacent bination, margin of said bag. a limp, flexible bag formed by a pair of opposed walls normally disposed in fyace-tiodace contact th'rough- References Cited by the Examiner oit substantially their entire areas, 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS a tu e projecting into said bag between said Walls, said walls being joined continuously and uninterrupted- 1497722 6/1924 Holst'Gubbe 12S-350 ly from a point immediately adjacent one side of said 2112'666 3/1938 Femien 128350 tube and marginally of said walls to a point immedi- 214903 2/1939 Hqulster 12S-283 ately adjacent the opposite side 'of said tube, and be- 10 285693 10/1958 Grfftts 12S-294 ing joined along opposed Vareas extending inwardly 2886036 5/1959 Puce 128' 275 from the marginof the bag along the length of said 2936757 5/1960 Tfa 12s-276 tube and closely adjacent the opposite sides thereof 3001565 8/1961 Beach' to provide a neck slidably receiving said tube and 3'055368 9/1962 Baxter r 12S-283 permitting the inner end of said tube to discharge at 15 FOREIGN PATENTS selected points Within the bag, all of fwhich are 1o- 631 987 12/1961 Canada cated inwardly from the margin of said bag,

-one wall only of said bag being perforate in an area RICHARD A GAUDET Primary Examiner.

thereof which is in face-to-face opposition with a j corresponding area of the other wall and which lies 20 C F' ROSENBAUM Assistant Examine"- 

1. A CATHETER AND RECEIVER DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A LIMP, FLEXIBLE BAG FORMED BY A PAIR OF OPPOSED WALLS NORMALLY DISPOSED IN FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT THROUGHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY THEIR ENTIRE AREAS, A TUBE PROJECTING INTO SAID BAG BETWEEN SAID WALLS, SAID WALLS BEING JOINED CONTINUOUSLY AND UNINTERRUPTEDLY FROM A POINT IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID TUBE AND MARGINALLY OF SAID WALLS TO A POINT IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID TUBE, AND BEING JOINED ALONG OPPOSED AREAS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO, ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF AND PARTIALLY ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID TUBE TO PROVIDE A NECK RECEIVING SAID TUBE AND POSITIONING THE INNER END OF SAID TUBE INWARDLY FROM THE MARGIN OF SAID BAG, AND VENT MEANS LOCATED BETWEEN THE INNER END OF SAID TUBE AND THAT MARGINAL PORTION OF THE BAG FROM WHICH THE TUBE EXTENDS INWARDLY, SAID VENT MEANS BEING FORMED BY AT LEAST ONE PERFORATION THROUGH A PORTION OF ONLY ONE WALL OF SAID BAG WHICH IS IN FACE- 